Flyingthoughts

Christmas2020

What became of us in 2020

2020! What a year! I don’t know about you, but the political and ideological division of the world has hit me right between the eyes. Considering the chasms between people’s ways of thinking, it’s a wonder that humanity evolved to the current state. 2020! What a year!

confidenceboost

How to be comfortable with yourself during layoffs, temporary or not?

On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 strongly disagree and 10 strongly agree, how satisfied have you been with yourself in the past weeks? What kind of thinking has been more like you? “I wish I were different?” or “I trust myself to go through this situation.” We

covidedition

How Taking Part in Webinars can Help Us Increase Our Listening Awareness

What was that? Can you say it again? Your mic is muted.  I cannot see your screen.  Your screen is frozen. Have you recently heard yourself anything similar? These must be some of the most pronounced sentences by those of us who participate in webinars. The sound or video disturbances

change perspective

How to use compassion to gain a new perspective to the unexpected

Week 7 of isolation. What do you find surprising or intriguing about how you manage yourself in isolation?  Let’s do a short recap of the emotional experiences in the weeks of physical distancing, so far, shall we? After initial reactions of disbelief and outrage against the emerging disruptions, moments

authentic self

How the experience of envy can take us to our authentic selves

“Hell is other people.” wrote Sartre, the renowned French philosopher, novelist and playwright in his play, No Exit. The famous quote is in the end of the play when three characters arrive in a place that appears to be hell. While they try to figure out what crimes they committed,

To avoid feeling like a failure when working at home, have a short break of self-compassion

“I don’t manage to do anything.”, one friend, father of 3, mentioned during one of our survival chats this week. “I don’t manage to work. I don’t even manage to go out for a walk.” Like my friend, after the outbreak of coronavirus, some of us who

coronavirus

How to invite more grateful thinking in our self-talks and conversations to cope with the social isolation

This Tuesday, March the 24th, I took my kids for a bike ride around the neighbourhood. It was a sunny but windy day in Helsinki. There were 10 meters wind per second. A plastic bag and a magazine were swerved by gusts of wind from the sidewalk to the street

change

How are you reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic?

“Is this an overreaction?”. This is the question that I have often heard and asked myself often, in the last two weeks. Each morning came with this question, “What decision should I make?” about things which yesterday used to be routine. Things like, taking your kids to hobbies, meeting a

Autumn

In awe of what cannot be seen

October is the month when trees are parading with their leaves. Shades of yellow and rusty red are transforming from one day to another. It feels as if a painter is working all night long, perfecting all the hues of the leaves for the next morning. As I walk by

belonging

The long journey of feeling integrated in a foreign culture

What does it mean to be integrated in a foreign culture? The competence of speaking the local language? The ability to interact comfortably with locals? The desire to maintain the cultural heritage while at the same time, being flexible to adopt new behaviours from the local culture? As a person

Wouldn’t it be nice?

This morning, as I was walking with my son, with the corner of my eye, I could see a young woman and man catching up with us, on their electric kick-bikes. The young woman, my son and I were about to enter the same building, when we could hear the

compassion

Compassion needs practice of three other foundational skills

We can’t be compassionate if we are not generous, empathetic and self-aware. To understand another person’s pain, we need to be generous with our time dedicated to build empathy for the other one. We need to be willing to observe him in his daily routine. Who are the

anger

How to create mental space for empathy when getting irritated

Being empathetic and looking at a particular situation from someone else’s perspective can help us decrease conflicts and give and receive feedback more effectively. But when you’re seeing red, it’s harder to shift gears and be motivated to think about what someone else might be thinking.  To

connection

What Are We Celebrating on Mother’s Day?

“The heartfelt connection we all yearn for is locked away within our everyday routine as parents, teachers, and friends.” Lawrence J.Cohen, Playful Parenting On the second Sunday of May, Finland is one of the European countries that celebrates Mother’s Day. “Mother’s Day Coffee Morning, Friday 10th of

knowledge

Why do we read books?

Some of us like to read. Because we are curious to know everything about anything – history, anthropology, biomedicine, artificial intelligence, etc. We are driven by the desire of understanding where we came from and where we are heading. Some others are driven by the need to feel. They read fiction

cultural icon

The taste of impermanence

Everybody knows Notre-Dame, the cathedral at the foundation of the Parisian cultural heritage, the place where Victor Hugo imagined the plot of the novel The HunchBack of Notre-Dame. Yesterday, the unexpected fire destroyed the loved monument. Shock and disbelief. The fire stirred the memories of millions of people who ever

kids

When you can't see through another’s eyes, when you can’t listen with the ears of another, when you can’t feel with the heart of another - Ask M

On the occasion of the World StoryTelling Day, at the event organised by the Nordic Culture Point on March 21st, I wrote and told an empathy story for an audience of 8th grade children in Helsinki. Here I share it. In case you like it, you are welcome to read

The Awakening of Meaning

The fundamental drive in life is the pursuit of meaning, writes Viktor Frankl in Man’s Search for Meaning. Through a combination of external and internal circumstances, meaning will come to the surface of conscious awareness. Through a grace of God or lucky coincidence, two people intersect. Their souls get

The Beauty of Being Human

Each human interaction has a flavour Some flavours are the perfect match for the heart, enriching it. The rest are opening the mind to other realities. We meet a new person. We feel what she might feel in the moment. We start talking, we get a glimpse into her experiences.

Why Entrepreneurial Parents Need Frequent Breaks from Their Work

In Helsinki, Summer days are numbered. I can’t help it but sharing some of the insights I collected during the Summer holidays. This reading is mostly useful for parents of preschoolers who want to dedicate time to their kids and at the same time, have a passion and commitment

The alternative to feeling like a failure

As a child, I used to look up to my parents and other adult relatives because they seemed to have figured out who they are and how they wanted to live. Now when I am an adult, I realise we, adults don’t really know what we are doing. Moreover,

ego

How to tame the negative-self talk

Self-compassion is the ability to be kind with the stream of negative thoughts and emotions that we experience. Most of us have thoughts like, “I’m not good enough.”, “I am a failure.”, “I am a bad person”, which lead to feeling tensed, irritated, defensive and stressed. If you are

bond

Thoughts on the Meaning of Being Together

One month after father’s physical death, I had a strong impulse to write down some thoughts on what it means to be together. The words are failing me, but I still wanted to give myself a chance to express how I feel about the continuation of strong bonds beyond

attitude

What I've learned from living in Finland about adapting to the local culture

Allow yourself to be changed by a new culture. Work with yourself even in the most vulnerable moments. The most beneficial change happens when you find a way to combine the old with the new.   According to UN, there are about 244 billion people – 3.3% of the global population

creative potential

How and Why to Develop Your Everyday Creativity

A recent study shows that engaging in something creative, on a weekly basis improves our general well-being, by experiencing increased positive emotions. Moreover, this study encourages everyone, no matter the personality types, to tap into their creative energy and find ways to express your creative self. In this blog post,